As a father of two wonderful, outgoing little girls, my wife and I made it a priority to encourage them to introduce themselves to veterans we saw in our community and thank them. This often took place at the grocery store, restaurants, sports stadiums, or church. Each time it happened I noticed two important things - my girls were filled with admiration and often star-struck by these humble veterans, and the veterans themselves were so moved by being sought out and thanked by some cute, patriotic little Americans. The idea behind this book came to me as I watched one of my girls walk over to a veteran at a local restaurant and the big grin it put on his face as she shook his hand. I felt inspired to write this book for adults to read to their children, hoping that it might spark some conversations about who veterans are and what makes them special. If this book gives one child some new heroes worth admiring, and one veteran a new reason to smile, my work on this book will have paid off.
Greg Easley is a full-time high school history teacher born and raised in the small Texas town of Pampa. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife and daughters, writing and illustrating, traveling, and soaking up history wherever he finds it. He is a proud Christian, American, Texan, Aggie, and Gooner. If You Meet a Veteran is his first publication.